CLIMATE CHANGE IN CONGRESS - Special Issue - and Other Ways Scientists Are Leading Discussions on Air Pollution, Flood Risks, Mineral Stocks ...
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Special
VOL. 99 • NO. 12 • DEC 2018
Issue
CLIMATE CHANGE
IN CONGRESS…
…and Other Ways Scientists
Are Leading Discussions on
Air Pollution, Flood Risks,
Mineral Stocks, and More
FROM THE EDITOR
This Moment in Time
A
s geoscientists, we hold unique of people who could be exposed to severe
views about time. We stare at road floods (“Millions More Americans Face
cuts, at landscapes, at tiny miner- Flood Risks Than Previously Thought,”
als in rocks, and we rewind time, seeking p. 16). And when those disasters play out,
the exact scene that unfolded to generate airways clogged with commercial wireless
the features we now see. We comb through services could hinder disaster responses
data, analyzing, synthesizing, interpolat- (“Wireless Frequency Sharing May Impede
ing, and extrapolating so that we can spin Weather Satellite Signals,” p. 13).
up models to show us the future. Still more scientists strive toward con-
While we look back and look ahead on crete solutions. They create models that
minuscule and vast timescales, our feet will help communities to better under-
remain firmly planted in the now. We need stand the cascading effects of natural
open access to data now to fulfill our call- disasters (“How Landslides Become Disas-
ing to thoroughly examine the past and ters,” p. 32). They also band together to
future. We need to bring full attention to provide opportunities to refugees with sci-
scientific findings now, to prevent irrepara- entific backgrounds who are fleeing disas-
ble harm to our society. ters, both natural and political (“New Ini-
This issue of Eos focuses on now, on this tiative Aims to Help Displaced Scientists,” Mohi Kumar (@scimohi)
moment in time. Regimes openly hostile to p. 3). Interim Senior News Editor
science are rising around the globe. State A few, particularly those who study cli-
and federal science budgets are being mate and environmental change, have got-
slashed; programs and even the very ten creative with getting the message out.
vocabularies that capture scientific con- They find allies in politicians who are
sensus on climate change and health are poised to assume greater leadership roles
threatened with erasure. Many of our col- (“The Push for a Climate Change in Con-
leagues worry that we’re sliding into a gress,” p. 20). And they’re succeeding at
post-truth world in which facts, scientific spreading their messages to those who
rigor, and logical analyses don’t matter. help define popular culture (“Dive into
What can scientists do? Ocean Issues with Sherman’s Lagoon,”
In the pages that follow, Eos gives snap- p. 37).
shots of what we are already doing. In short, researchers are making strate-
Some scientists frame their research to gic moves right now to ensure that society
exigent concerns, showing how pollution understands, embraces, and acts on sci-
already affects cognition (see “Heavy Air ence.
Pollution May Lower Cognitive Test Scores” This month, thousands of scientists from
on p. 8 of this issue) and accumulates in around the world will gather at AGU’s Fall
our bodies (“Microplastics Found in Human Meeting 2018 to discuss their research in
Stool,” p. 4). They demonstrate with data the shadow of the U.S. Capitol. As AGU’s
that people can simultaneously keep their president reminds us (“Solidarity Among
eyes on their pocketbooks and the envi- World’s Scientists Needed Now More Than
ronment (“Conserving Riverside Habitat Ever,” p. 19), the very act of meeting en
Could Bolster Bottom Lines,” p. 47). They masse here and now sends its own power-
provide context about the extent to which ful message.
the United States relies on other countries’ That message is simple: Science, sound
natural resources (“Meeting the Mineral science policy, and the truth matter. And
Needs of the United States,” p. 26)— with a little strategy, even at this moment
important information given the current in time, we can share this message with
rush toward trade wars. the world.
Other scientists offer imminent warnings
of clear-cut threats to human lives in the
next months or years. They note that gov-
ernment models fail to capture two thirds
Earth & Space Science News Contents
DECEMBER 2018
VOLUME 99, ISSUE 12 FEATURE
26
Meeting the Mineral Needs
of the United States
The U.S. Geological Survey tracks the supply
streams of 90 key mineral commodities. Its
work pinpoints where the United States is
most dependent on mineral imports and
highlights ways to reduce this dependence.
PROJECT UPDATE
32
How Landslides
Become Disasters
A new modeling platform, tested on
two recent natural disasters, simulates
conditions that dump landslide debris into
rain-swollen rivers, often causing more
damage than the landslides themselves.
FEATURE
20
22 // Eos December 2018
37 Dive into Ocean Issues
with Sherman’s Lagoon
The creator of
FEATURE Sherman’s Lagoon
talks to Eos
about providing
The Push for a Climate Change light-hearted
in Congress entertainment while
weaving in ocean
Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) is on a mission to find bipartisan solutions, further facts and larger
Democratic goals, and end the dark money that spurs members of Congress to oppose messages about threats to the ocean and its
climate measures. creatures.
Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 1
Contents
DEPARTMENTS Editor in Chief
Heather Goss, AGU, Washington, D. C., USA; Eos_EIC@agu.org
Editors
Christina M. S. Cohen Wendy S. Gordon Carol A. Stein
California Institute Ecologia Consulting, Department of Earth and
of Technology, Pasadena, Austin, Texas, USA; Environmental Sciences,
Calif., USA; wendy@ecologiaconsulting University of Illinois at
cohen@srl.caltech.edu .com Chicago, Chicago, Ill.,
José D. Fuentes David Halpern USA; cstein@uic.edu
Department of Meteorology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
Pennsylvania State Pasadena, Calif., USA;
University, University davidhalpern29@gmail
Park, Pa., USA; .com
juf15@meteo.psu.edu
Editorial Advisory Board
Mark G. Flanner, Atmospheric Sciences John W. Lane, Near-Surface Geophysics
Nicola J. Fox, Space Physics Jian Lin, Tectonophysics
and Aeronomy Figen Mekik, Paleoceanography
Peter Fox, Earth and Space Science and Paleoclimatology
Informatics Jerry L. Miller, Ocean Sciences
Steve Frolking, Biogeosciences Thomas H. Painter, Cryosphere Sciences
Edward J. Garnero, Study of the Philip J. Rasch, Global Environmental
Earth’s Deep Interior Change
Michael N. Gooseff, Hydrology Eric M. Riggs, Education
Brian C. Gunter, Geodesy Adrian Tuck, Nonlinear Geophysics
16 Kristine C. Harper, History of Geophysics
Sarah M. Hörst, Planetary Sciences
Sergio Vinciguerra, Mineral
and Rock Physics
Susan E. Hough, Natural Hazards Andrew C. Wilcox, Earth and Planetary
Emily R. Johnson, Volcanology, Surface Processes
Geochemistry, and Petrology Earle Williams, Atmospheric
Inside Front Cover: 40–45 AGU News Keith D. Koper, Seismology and Space Electricity
From the Editor Celebrating the 2018 Class of Fellows.
Robert E. Kopp, Geomagnetism
and Paleomagnetism
Mary Lou Zoback, Societal Impacts
and Policy Sciences
This Moment in Time. Staff
46–47 Research Spotlight Production and Design: Faith A. Ishii, Manager, Production and Operations;
3–9 News Yellow Detritus
Melissa A. Tribur, Senior Production Specialist; Beth Bagley, Manager, Design and
Branding; Travis Frazier and Valerie Friedman, Senior Graphic Designers
New Initiative Aims to Help in the Oceans Editorial: Mohi Kumar, Interim Senior News Editor; Peter L. Weiss, Interim Manager/
May Help Reduce Features and Special Projects Editor; Randy Showstack, Senior News Writer;
Displaced Scientists; Microplastics Kimberly M. S. Cartier, News Writer and Production Associate; Jenessa Duncombe,
Found in Human Stool; Huge Blades Warming; News and Production Intern; Liz Castenson, Editorial and Production Coordinator
of Ice May Partially Cover Jupiter’s Conserving Marketing: Angelo Bouselli, Marketing Program Manager; Ashwini Yelamanchili,
Moon Europa; Lidar Uncovers Riverside Habitat Digital Marketing Coordinator
Thousands of New Maya Structures; Could Bolster Advertising: Dan Nicholas, Display Advertising, Email: dnicholas@wiley.com;
Heather Cain, Recruitment Advertising, Email: hcain@wiley.com
Large Exomoon Likely Orbits a Bottom Lines;
Faraway World; Heavy Air Pollution Increasing ©2018. AGU. All Rights Reserved. Material in this issue may be photocopied by
Radiation Levels May Challenge individual scientists for research or classroom use. Permission is also granted to use
May Lower Cognitive Test Scores. short quotes, figures, and tables for publication in scientific books and journals. For
Space Exploration. permission for any other uses, contact the AGU Publications Office.
10–11 Tribute Eos (ISSN 0096-3941) is published monthly by AGU, 2000 Florida Ave., NW,
Washington, DC 20009, USA. Periodical Class postage paid at Washington, D. C.,
A. F. “Fred” Spilhaus Jr. (1938–2018).
48–56 Positions Available and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Member
Service Center, 2000 Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA.
Current job openings in the Earth
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Use AGU’s Geophysical Electronic Manuscript Submissions system
A Cross-Sectoral Approach to Tackle
Ocean Plastic Pollution.
Inside Back Cover: to submit a manuscript: http://eos-submit.agu.org.
Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect official
Postcards from the Field positions of AGU unless expressly stated.
Researchers view the aurorae over Christine W. McEntee, Executive Director/CEO
13–19 Opinion
Utqiaġvik, Alaska.
Wireless Frequency Sharing May
Impede Weather Satellite Signals;
Millions More Americans Face Flood
On the Cover
Risks Than Previously Thought; Credit: timonko/Depositphotos;
Solidarity Among World’s Scientists Natata/Shutterstock. Design: Valerie
Needed Now More Than Ever. Friedman
AmericanGeophysicalUnion @AGU_Eos company/american-geophysical-union AGUvideos americangeophysicalunion americangeophysicalunion
2 // Eos December 2018
NEWS
New Initiative Aims to Help McGrath, who also is the coordinator of the
InterAcademy Partnership, a global network
Displaced Scientists of 130 academies of science and medicine,
said that there might be about 10,000 dis-
placed scientists, engineers, medical doctors,
and students in those fields among the mil-
lions of refugees worldwide and that the
numbers could increase with growing con-
flicts and other causes of instability such as
climate change.
McGrath said that the science community
can help those displaced keep up to date with
current science so that when it is safe for them
to return to their own countries, they can
make a positive difference there. Although not
all of the displaced scientists may want to
return to their home countries or be able to do
so, the initiative is not meant to be a brain
drain, he added.
A Resource, Not a Cost
Maria Cristina Pedicchio, president of OGS,
stressed that the idea is to provide displaced
iStock.com/Martin Barraud
scientists with opportunities in Italy “but then
to support them going back home to rebuild a
new, more peaceful national context in their
home countries.”
She added that politicians and others who
may be wary of refugees should understand
that helping displaced scientists is a win-win
A
mong the estimated tens of millions of Geophysics (OGS), Italy’s National Institute for the scientists as well as for host countries
refugees worldwide, thousands might for Astrophysics (INAF), and others. that view the scientists as a resource rather
be scientists, engineers, medical doc- than a cost.
tors, and students in those fields. A new joint
initiative by 10 Italian science institutions
The parties to the Looking for Ways to Help
hopes to help scientific refugees who have agreement will work “We are looking for ways to be helpful in this
been displaced because of conflicts or instabil- type of initiative,” said Giovanni Vladilo,
ities in their home countries. together “to identify, director of INAF’s Astronomical Observatory
The institutions have agreed to develop
research and study opportunities for scientists
enhance and develop of Trieste. Vladilo said that concrete actions
could include conferring with other astronomy
in need, according to a statement issued on professional and scientific organizations about considering special pro-
17 September in Trieste, Italy (http://bit.ly/ grams to help refugees.
italy-statement). expertise of refugees and The new initiative is crucial for the scien-
The parties to the agreement will work tists in need and for the broader scientific
together “to promote, develop and consolidate
asylum seekers.” community, Vladilo added. “It’s important to
opportunities and common initiatives to iden- give a signal that scientists are involved in
tify, enhance and develop professional and society,” he said.
scientific expertise of refugees and asylum The initiative suggests some initial steps
seekers,” according to a statement signed by that include identifying the skills of affected A Small Start
the institutions, all of which are based in Tri- scientists, establishing research and training The initiative “is a small start,” McGrath said.
este and the northeastern Italian region of positions for some affected scientists, and He added that he hopes that the accord can
Friuli Venezia Giulia. developing collaborations with other organi- serve as a model for other research centers
The parties “will offer opportunities to zations active in this issue, such as the Scholar and universities in Europe or elsewhere.
affected scientists to enrich their profes- Rescue Fund, Science4Refugees, and Scholars Beyond that, he said, “What we need is
sional skills, to foster their human and pro- at Risk. either a European-level or global-level clear-
fessional development and integration, and inghouse where refugee scientists can regis-
encourage their reintegration in their country A Responsibility to Assist ter, can connect, and can find ways to stay in
of origin once conditions allow,” the state- Displaced Scientists the scientific system.”
ment continues. Science institutions that “The scientific community has a responsibil-
signed on to the initiative include the World ity to assist these people,” Peter McGrath,
Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Italy’s National coordinator of the TWAS science policy and By Randy Showstack (@RandyShowstack), Staff
Institute of Oceanography and Experimental science diplomacy program, told Eos. Writer
Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 3
NEWS
Microplastics Found 93% of water in plastic bottles sampled was
contaminated with microplastics. Despite the
in Human Stool mounting evidence of human exposure to
microplastics, little research has quantified
the risk and the impact.
In this new study, Schwabl and his col-
leagues chose volunteers from countries
M
ussels, sea salt, and shrimp: These Austria, is another step in what researchers around Europe and Asia and asked them to
are just a few of the things that scien- hope will reveal how microplastics move keep a food journal. After 1 week, they tested
tists have found riddled with micro through the environment. the subjects’ stool using a Fourier transform
plastics in the past year. According to research “This is the first study of its kind,” said infrared (FTIR) microspectrometer, which
to be presented at a conference in October, Philipp Schwabl, lead author of the study and identifies materials on the basis of the wave-
scientists can now add another example to the a physician scientist in the Division of Gas- lengths they absorb.
list: humans. troenterology and Hepatology at the Medical They found that every stool sample con-
The study tested stool samples from eight University of Vienna. The study, he said, tained microplastics. They tested for 10 types
healthy adults and found microplastics in “confirms what we have long suspected, that of microplastics; the stool, collectively, con-
every stool sample tested (see http://bit.ly/ plastics ultimately reach the human gut.” tained all but one type.
stool-microplastics). The research, which “Personally, I did not expect that each sam-
was presented at the annual United European
The study “confirms what ple would test positive,” Schwabl said. He
Gastroenterology (UEG) Week in Vienna, noted that the small sample size limited the
we have long suspected, reach of the findings, but statistician Daniela
Dunkler at the Medical University of Vienna
that plastics ultimately said that it is reasonable to estimate that more
reach the human gut.” than half of the world’s population may have
microplastics in its stool. Dunkler was not
involved in the current research.
Two of the most common polymers found
The Facts from the Feces in the study were polypropylene (PP) and
“Plastics are pervasive in everyday life, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). “All par-
humans are exposed to plastics in numerous ticipants had PP and PET particles in their
ways,” Schwabl said. Previous research has stool samples,” Schwabl added. PP and PET
revealed that little flecks of plastic fre- are components of plastic bottle caps and
quently end up in our food and water. A plastic bottles.
study released earlier this year found that
Dinner with a Side of Plastic
All of this begs an important question: How
Plastic water bottles, which contain polyethylene are microplastics making their way into peo-
terephthalate (PET), are one possible source of ple’s guts?
microplastics that enter into water and food Although it is still unclear where exactly
streams bound for human consumption. Credit: each fragment came from, Schwabl noted that
iStock.com/EasternLightcraft “it is highly likely that during various steps of
food processing, or as a result of packaging,
food is being contaminated with plastics. In
our study, most participants drank liquids
from plastic bottles, but also fish and seafood
ingestion was common.”
It’s too soon to tell whether these micro-
plastic shards could have any human health
risks, Schwabl said, because currently there
are “no human studies that give answer to this
question.” Studies in animals show that
microplastics can harm intestines, hinder iron
absorption, and even make their way into the
bloodstream.
“Now that we have the first evidence for
microplastics inside humans, we need further
research to understand what this means for
human health,” Schwabl said.
By Jenessa Duncombe (@jenessaduncombe),
News Writing and Production Intern
4 // Eos December 2018
NEWS
Huge Blades of Ice May Partially Towering Tall
Using estimates of noontime temperatures on
Cover Jupiter’s Moon Europa Europa and the reflectivity of its surface,
among other parameters, the researchers
estimate that ice on the moon sublimates at a
rate of roughly 30 centimeters per million
years. That’s millions of times slower than the
E
uropa, a moon of Jupiter, has long been As sublimation continues, the pits deepen. rate on Earth, mostly because Europa is much
heralded as one of the most promising Over time, the cumulative sublimation eats farther from the Sun. At the distance of
places to look for life in the solar sys- away at the ice, creating penitentes with typi- Europa, “the Sun is 25 times less bright,”
tem. That’s because it contains an ocean of cal heights of 1–5 meters. Moore said.
liquid water beneath its surface that might, Penitentes can last a year or two on Earth, But even the creeping pace at which ice
much like Earth’s ocean, be a habitable place. and they’ve even been re-created in labora- turns into water vapor on Europa is faster than
But now scientists have proposed a poten- tory experiments. The New Horizons space- the rate at which Europa’s surface is eroded by
tial hitch to safely placing a lander on Europa: craft has also spotted these features on Pluto, charged particles from Jupiter. And because
Blades of ice up to 15 meters tall might be where the towering columns are believed to be penitentes form more rapidly than they’re
clustered around the moon’s equatorial made of frozen methane. eroded, they should exist on the Jovian moon,
region. the researchers reason.
These features, which exist in cold, dry These blades could Given that Europa’s surface is about 50 mil-
areas on Earth and have been spotted on Pluto, lion years old—on the basis of its relative lack
are formed when the Sun’s rays shine on ice, prevent a lander from of craters—Moore and his colleagues estimate
causing it to completely skip melting into a
liquid and instead turn directly into a gas.
exploring parts of Europa. that penitentes as tall as 15 meters might
tower over Europa’s equatorial region.
Known as penitentes—the Spanish term for “The Sun sculpts these special features in a
religious figures kneeling in penance— way that is remarkable,” said Douglas Mac
because of their appearance, these blades Now Jeff Moore, a planetary geologist at Ayeal, a geophysicist at the University of Chi-
could prevent a lander from exploring parts of NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, cago who was not involved in the research. But
Europa. Calif., and his colleagues have proposed remarkable or not, the spires themselves
another location where penitentes might might not be good news. Penitentes would
Remarkable Sculpting form: on Europa. “imply a hazard of attempting to land on an
Penitentes are found on Earth in cold and dry “The raw ingredients seem to be there,” equatorial surface of Europa,” MacAyeal said.
conditions at tropical latitudes, for example, Moore said. These ingredients include the
in the Andes mountains of northern Chile. moon’s icy surface, its cold temperature Awaiting a Flyby
They begin to form when a field of ice natu- (between −203°C and −141°C), and the rela- Unfortunately, images of Europa taken by
rally develops small pits on its surface. tively constant angle at which sunlight strikes spacecraft aren’t detailed enough to reveal or
When the Sun is nearly overhead, its rays it. refute the presence of penitentes. However,
preferentially strike the bottoms of these pits, “We hypothesize that penitentes can grow, radar data of the Jovian moon are consistent
warming the ice. This warming ice doesn’t and indeed have grown [on Europa],” the with the existence of penitentes near Europa’s
melt in a traditional sense: The air is so dry researchers write in their study, which was equator, Moore and his colleagues note.
that the heated ice immediately gets trans- published in Nature Geoscience in October Microwave wavelength radar observations of
formed into gas in a process called sublimation. (http://bit.ly/europa-penitentes). Europa have revealed that its equatorial region
tends to reflect less radiation than its higher
latitudes. If the moon’s surface is rough near
the equator—due to penitentes, for example—
that could explain these measurements: The
deep pits of these ice blades tend to scatter
and absorb radiation.
In the coming decade, NASA’s Europa Clip-
per mission is expected to put a spacecraft in
orbit around Jupiter that will complete flybys
of Europa’s surface, and scientists hope that a
lander might follow. Moore and his colleagues
are looking forward to mining the first data
from the Europa Clipper mission, which will
skim as close as 25 kilometers above Europa,
to look for penitentes.
“If they’re there, we’ll see them,” he said.
By Katherine Kornei (email: hobbies4kk@gmail
.com; @katherinekornei), Freelance Science Jour-
Penitentes in the Andes mountains in Chile. Credit: ESO nalist
Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 5
NEWS
Lidar Uncovers Thousands
of New Maya Structures
Finely scaled topography stands out in this lidar-generated map of Maya settlements north of the ancient city of Tikal, (Top) A photo of the Maya lowland city of Tikal seen from
in what is now Guatemala. The large structure on the right is roughly 200 meters wide. Credit: Luke A uld-Thomas/ above the trees, coupled with (bottom) an image of the
PACUNAM same view with the vegetation stripped away. Credit:
Francisco Estrada-Belli/PACUNAM
A
team of 18 researchers has now The trick to peeling back dense vegetation
mapped more than 61,000 structures in involves lidar’s lasers, which rapidly pulse agriculture, a fact not well understood before
the Maya lowlands. How? Two words: from low-flying planes. These pinpoints of the study. The team also found evidence of
airborne lidar. light penetrate tiny gaps between leaves to get elevated roads linking many of the urban cen-
The scientists conducted aerial surveys of to whatever may lie below, before reflecting ters, suggesting a closer connection between
northern Guatemala, repeatedly flying over back to the aircraft above. With a little pro- cities than previously thought.
long–abandoned sites of the ancient Maya civ- cessing, scientists can use the time it takes for “Seen as a whole, terraces and irrigation
ilization that thrived between 1000 BCE and light to travel and reflect back to reveal precise channels, reservoirs, fortifications and cause-
1500 CE. The lidar data collected from these information about the elevations of the ground ways reveal an astonishing amount of land
surveys map in fine detail the 3-D topography and structures upon which the jungle grows. modification done by the Maya over their
of the region, resolving ground features as entire landscape on a scale previously
small as 1 meter. The researchers published What they found calls unimaginable,” first author Marcello Canuto
their maps and their interpretations of those said in a press release about the project.
maps on 28 September in Science (http://bit.ly/ into question many These findings may revise what scholars
maya-lidar). believe about Maya economics, population,
One such map is the image above. Made of the accepted theories and agriculture, the authors speculate, and the
from the lidar measurements, it shows topog- of Maya life. data in hand could fuel more discoveries yet to
raphy under the jungle canopy, revealing Maya come.
settlements that stood north of the ancient Lidar is “revolutionizing archaeology the
city of Tikal in what is now Guatemala. A way the Hubble Space Telescope revolution-
smattering of large and small buildings dot The team scanned more than 2,100 square ized astronomy,” coauthor Francisco Estrada-
the hillsides, some of them newly discovered kilometers of terrain in what it says is “the Belli told National Geographic earlier this year.
in the most recent study. largest single lidar survey of Mesoamerican “We’ll need 100 years to go through all [the
Archaeologists can toil for years mapping archaeology.” What they found calls into data] and really understand what we’re see-
one ancient Maya site by foot, wading through question many of the accepted theories of ing.”
the dense tangle of jungle that blankets the Maya life, the authors explain.
region. But with lidar instruments, scientists For example, evidence of extensive agricul-
can map in fine detail, from above, buildings tural practices, from terraces to modified ter- By Jenessa Duncombe (@jenessaduncombe),
hidden beneath the undergrowth. rain, hints at a civilization intimately linked to News Writing and Production Intern
6 // Eos December 2018
NEWS
Large Exomoon Likely Orbits ing time on Hubble, then got to work meticu-
lously scrutinizing the data.
a Faraway World Anomalies in Timing and Brightness
Teachey and Kipping found that two aspects of
the transit data from Hubble were consistent
with their exomoon hypothesis. First, the
A
team of astronomers has announced If future observations validate this hypoth- planet transited the star 1.25 hours earlier
new evidence supporting the existence esis, the exomoon candidate, tentatively than expected on the basis of the orbital
of an exomoon in orbit around a dis- dubbed K epler-1625b-i, will be the first moon period measured by Kepler. “That is indicative
tant exoplanet. detected around a planet outside of our solar of something gravitationally tugging on the
“Within our solar system, satellites are system. planet” during this particular transit, Kipping
abundant,” said David Kipping, assistant explained.
professor of astronomy at Columbia Univer- Two Telescopes, One Target If a moon did exist, he continued, the posi-
sity in New York. “We have long assumed The planet, called Kepler-1625b, first came to tion of the moon in its orbit about the planet
that when it comes to exomoons, the ques- the researchers’ attention as a possible exo- could help explain why the timing of the Hub-
tion is not if they exist but, What are the moon host in 2017 after they analyzed data ble transit differed from that of the Kepler
physical properties of such a population?” from the Kepler Space Telescope. Kepler data. Imagine the influence of the moon to be
Kipping, who has been hunting exomoons for observed three transits of the J upiter-sized like pushing someone on a swing: Depending
nearly a decade, coauthored a Science Advances world during its primary mission. The planet, on when you push, the direction of your push,
research paper that announced the discovery about 8,000 light-years from Earth, takes and where you’re standing when you do push,
on 3 October (see http://bit.ly/teachey about a year to orbit an old star that is slightly you (the moon) could make the swing (the
-exomoon). larger and more massive than the Sun. planet) move faster or slower or not change
Using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), The Kepler data contained hints—subtle speed at all.
the team observed a Jupiter-sized planet as it blips in the host star’s emitted light that were Second, the Hubble observations of the
transited its host star and blocked a fraction slightly offset from the planet’s signal—that host star’s brightness showed two dips in
of the star’s light. It found that the timing, an exomoon might be orbiting the planet. brightness instead of just the one from the
shape, and strength of the planet’s transit Kepler-1625b was the only planetary system planet. “The location, shape, and depth of
showed peculiarities that strongly suggest out of nearly 300 viable targets that showed this event appear consistent with a Neptune-
that it hosts a Neptune-sized moon. any hint of a moon. sized moon [also] transiting in front of the
“We are looking forward to the scrutiny of The preliminary results from Kepler were star,” Kipping said. The team also saw this
the scientific community on this work,” said tantalizing enough for the team to observe a secondary dip in the star’s light in some of
lead author Alex Teachey, “and we hope that fourth transit in October 2017 using HST. the Kepler transits.
we will have an opportunity to observe the Hubble provided a fourfold improvement in The team compared its data with outputs
target again before too long.” Teachey is a precision over Kepler for this star and also from a variety of transit models—some that
graduate student in the Department of made observations at infrared wavelengths. included or excluded exomoons and some
Astronomy at Columbia University. The team obtained about 40 hours of observ- that included or excluded other exoplanets.
“We have tried our best to rule
out other possibilities such as
spacecraft anomalies, other
planets in the system, or stellar
activity,” Kipping said, “but we
are unable to find any other sin-
gle hypothesis that can explain
all of the data that we have.”
“The combination of Hubble
data with the Kepler data is really
an essential part of the moon
search,” Teachey said.
Moon of a Surprising Size
The exoplanet-exomoon system
suggested by the new observa-
tions has mass and radius ratios
similar to those of the Earth-
Moon system but that are scaled
up by a factor of 11. If you were on
a spaceship flying through the
planet’s atmosphere, the exo-
moon would appear to be around
Artist’s rendering of the Jupiter-sized exoplanet K
epler-1625b with its hypothesized Neptune-sized moon, Kepler-1625b-i. Credit: Dan twice as large in the sky as our
Durda Moon does, Teachey explained.
Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 7
NEWS
Heavy Air Pollution May Lower
Cognitive Test Scores
D
eteriorating air quality around the also supplied researchers with background
globe has long been linked to declines information on test participants such as where
in physical health, including lung can- they have lived and for how long.
cer, heart disease, stroke, and overall life By isolating these individual factors, the
expectancy. Now new research published in researchers could classify a benchmark value
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of for each group. Assuming that a person’s
the United States of America suggests that high scores started at the benchmark when they
levels of pollution can lead to a decline in cog- were young, the researchers began to ponder
nitive ability too (see http://bit.ly/zhang- the factors that could have led to changes in a
2018). person’s cognition over time.
The study analyzed scores on cognition tests Given respondents’ age distribution as well
Artist’s impression of the exoplanet Kepler-1625b (larger
taken by nearly 32,000 participants across as the spatial distribution of scores over much
black dot) and its potential exomoon (smaller black dot)
China, searching for demographic trends that of China, the factor the researchers kept cir-
transiting their host star. In this rendering, the planet and
may be associated with pollution levels. And it cling back to was air pollution.
moon orbit the star from left to right. New data from HST
found them.
first showed a dip in the star’s brightness as the planet
“Long-term exposure to air pollution Pollution on the Brain
transited the face of the star. This dip was followed by a
impedes cognitive performance in verbal and Personal experience led Zhang to consider the
second, smaller dip, which the team attributed to a
math tests,” Xiaobo Zhang, lead author on the health effects of air pollution. Zhang told
smaller exomoon. Credit: Dan Durda
study, told Eos. Zhang is a professor at the Eos that when he returned to China from the
National School of Development at Peking United States in 2012, he immediately began
The team was surprised that a Neptune- University in Beijing and a senior research fel- experiencing headaches and found it hard to
ized moon seemed to orbit a Jupiter-sized
s low at the International Food Policy Research concentrate on research on days when Beijing
planet. Moons in our solar system formed as Institute in Washington, D. C. had heavy air pollution.
by-products of a collision (like our Moon), by “The negative impact on verbal scores was Past studies, the team notes in the paper,
the capture of asteroids or other objects (like more pronounced for men than women,” he had looked at how air pollution affects chil-
the moons of Mars and Neptune), or as left- said. “The damage increases as people age.” dren’s test scores in school, so Zhang won-
overs of planet formation (like Jupiter’s Gal- The researchers note that most cities in dered whether the effects were the same for
ilean moons). A Neptune-sized moon around developing nations, including China, fail to everyone. He became curious about how low
a Jupiter-sized planet does not fit any of meet international air quality standards, so air quality might affect different subpopula-
these formation scenarios, the team said. this study may have implications beyond Chi- tions in China. Do air pollution’s effects differ
“A moon like this is not necessarily read- na’s borders. for older populations, for men and women, or
ily explainable,” said Teachey. However, “The damage to cognitive ability by air pol- for those who work primarily outdoors?
“you certainly can’t rule it out on those lution also likely impedes the development of So Zhang instructed his team to learn more
grounds, because nature makes all sorts of human capital,” Zhang explained. “Therefore, about air pollution at the locations and times
things that we are still struggling to a narrow focus on the negative effect on that the CFPS tests were administered. The
explain,” he said. health may underestimate the total cost of air survey fortuitously recorded the precise times
pollution.” and locations of the tests, which the research-
Cautious Optimism ers used to gather local air quality data for the
The exomoon-hunting team received media Sifting Through Scores testing period. Specifically, the team exam-
attention in 2017 when its planned observa- Zhang’s team mined cognition test results ined each location’s air pollution index, a met-
tions appeared on Hubble’s public schedule. gathered in 2010 and 2014 by the China Family ric recorded by the Chinese Ministry of Ecol-
This sparked unsupported claims that the Panel Studies (CFPS), a national demographics ogy and Environment that accounts for levels
team was more confident in a Kepler-1625b survey conducted by Peking University. of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and inhal-
moon than they had said. Among other questions, the survey included able particulate matter smaller than
With this paper, “we are urging caution 24 standardized math questions and 34 word 10 micrometers, such as smog, smoke, ash,
here,” Teachey said. “The first exomoon is recognition questions of increasing difficulty. and dust (see http://bit.ly/air-quality-index).
obviously an extraordinary claim, and it Responses to the survey, gathered from 162
requires extraordinary evidence.” The counties spread over China, are representative High Pollution, Low Scores
researchers hope to observe the May 2019 of the Chinese population, according to CFPS. Several areas in China are hot spots of poor air
transit of K
epler-1625b with HST to further Demographic data collected with the survey quality as defined by the air pollution index.
test their exomoon hypothesis. allowed researchers to group participants on The country’s northeastern coast from Shang-
the basis of personal factors like age, sex, and hai to Beijing, in particular, has consistently
education level, which in China likely deter- been a source of unhealthily high pollution.
By Kimberly M. S. Cartier (@AstroKimCartier), mine whether a person works predominantly Most research into the cognitive impacts of
Staff Writer outdoors and breathes unfiltered air. The data air pollution “have focused on the U.S. or
8 // Eos December 2018NEWS
also found that pregnancies and infants, it expands our
1 week of exposure understanding into pollution’s cognitive
saw a roughly 0.3- impacts on other groups. He added that future
point drop in verbal work should also seek to account for personal
scores, but 3 years of behaviors, like smoking, which may affect
exposure saw a 1.1- cognitive performance.
point drop.
Men’s verbal test Reduce Air Pollution to Save
scores dropped nearly Cognitive Function
twice as much as Cognitive decline with age, the team notes, is
women’s after 3 years a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, which
of exposure to heavy costs hundreds of billions of dollars in health
pollution when com- services each year and affects almost 2% of the
pared to the bench- adult population over 65. “The damage to the
mark. For men, but aging brain by air pollution likely imposes
not women, the substantial health and economic costs,” the
decrease in verbal team writes, “considering that cognitive func-
cognition after expo- tioning is critical for the elderly for both run-
A person wears a mask to protect against heavy air pollution outside the Palace sure to heavy pollu- ning daily errands and making high-stakes
Museum in Beijing, China, on 5 January 2017. Credit: Kyodo News/Getty Images tion was more pro- decisions.”
nounced with Reducing air pollution in China to meet the
increasing age and air quality standards published by the U.S.
Europe, where ambient air pollution levels are even more so for men with less than a middle Environmental Protection Agency could
relatively low,” said Dave Marcotte, a profes- school education. Men’s and women’s math increase verbal scores by 2.41 points and math
sor of public administration and policy at scores dropped roughly the same amount in scores by 0.39 point nationwide in future pop-
American University in Washington, D. C. each age group in those with the highest ulations, the team estimated. Had these stan-
“Because China has relatively high levels of air exposure to pollution. dards already been in place, men older than 64
pollution, it is a setting highly relevant for The researchers speculate that the differ- who have been exposed to long-term heavy
other parts of the globe, including south and ence between men’s and women’s verbal pollution might have seen average verbal
southeast Asia and urban areas in Africa.” scores corresponds to differences in how white scores more than 9 points higher than cur-
Marcotte, who was not involved in this and gray matter are activated in men’s and rently reported, or the equivalent of moving
research, has studied educational impacts of women’s brains during testing. Past from the median score to the 87th percentile.
air pollution. research has shown that white and gray mat- “Investment in cleaning up air pollution is
When mapping these locations to test ter, used for more verbal and more math cog- good not only for health,” Zhang said, “but
scores, the researchers found that overall, nition, respectively, have different sensitivi- also for the intellect of society at large.”
lower verbal test scores matched times with ties to air pollution.
heavy air pollution, regardless of age, sex, or Marcotte called this research “an excellent
education level. This effect was stronger than and convincing study.” He explained that By Kimberly M. S. Cartier (@AstroKimCartier),
what was seen in math scores. The researchers unlike previous research focused mainly on Staff Writer
Mercury Mission Will Map Morphology
Read it first on and Measure Magnetics
http://bit.ly/Eos_mercury-mission
Articles are published on Eos.org before they appear in the magazine. What’s Your Superpower? Science Communication
Visit https://eos.org daily for the latest news and perspectives. http://bit.ly/Eos_superpower
Making Sense of Landslide Danger After
Kerala's Floods
http://bit.ly/Eos_landslide-danger
U.S. Mint Unveils Design for Special Apollo 11 Coin
http://bit.ly/Eos_Apollo11-coin
Better Data for Modeling the Sun's Influence
on Climate
http://bit.ly/Eos_Sun-climate
Helping Geoscience Students Thrive
in Graduate School
http://bit.ly/Eos_geoscience-grad-students
Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 9TRIBUTE
A. F. “Fred” Spilhaus Jr. third leg to the stool, one from which AGU
could give back to the broader community.
(1938–2018) The education, public affairs, and public
information programs became that third
leg.
With the help of thoughtful members, a
public policy effort took shape. Fred had
“H
e was big- Early in Fred’s tenure as AGU’s executive seen such activities become divisive in other
ger than director (1970−2009), he attended a confer- organizations when politics rather than pol-
life.” “His ence for society managers at which a icy took over. Thus, AGU’s public affairs
legacy will not soon be speaker talked about the importance of program became firmly rooted in providing
forgotten.” “He left a reducing the financial threshold for mem- solid scientific information that could be
lasting mark on all he bership so that more could join. The princi- used by decision makers in legislative and
touched.” These sen- ple was to have a low entry fee and then regulatory entities rather than a program
Alik Ismail-Zadeh
timents, which are charge for the products and services mem- that lobbied for particular legislation. The
often spoken about a bers used. Fred was so struck by the concept first public policy statement adopted by
recently deceased that for more than 3 decades—until his AGU, issued in 1981, dealt with the impor-
individual, can seem retirement—he was able to convince the tance of underlying scientific principles
A. F. “Fred” Spilhaus Jr.
like clichés. Council (today’s Board of Directors) to keep when Earth science was being taught at the
But for A. F. “Fred” dues at $20 for members and to reduce and precollege level.
Spilhaus Jr., executive director emeritus of maintain dues for students at $7. Fred had a Having clear guidelines for how policy
AGU, who died on 30 April just 3 weeks shy strong numeric base for keeping the dues statements would be prepared was critical to
of his eightieth birthday, they are far from low: The dues must always cover the incre- maintaining AGU’s position as a learned
just words. mental costs of serving an average member; society. The guidelines ensured that mem-
Those who were fortunate enough to they always did. bers had the means to provide input to the
know and work with Fred may speak of his policy statements before they were final-
vibrant personality, his strong work ethic, Fostering an International Organization ized.
his generosity with ideas, his seemingly When Fred joined the staff of AGU, he Fred was also a great believer in the
unflagging energy, or his attraction to good became an employee of the National Acad- importance of having strong national and
food and wine. And Fred embodied all of emy of Sciences. AGU had been founded
that. within the academy as the U.S. national
However, those committed to the committee for the International Union of
advancement of science know that there are Geodesy and Geophysics. Only U.S. resi-
fathoms more. Fred held an unwavering dents could be full voting members of AGU
passion for AGU and was deeply dedicated to because each member was also a member
its members. of the committee; others were classified as
When asked, shortly before his retire- associates and could not vote or hold
ment, what he felt was most important office.
among his contributions to AGU, Fred noted, When AGU was “invited” to leave the
“the openness of AGU and the ability for academy and it became a separately incor-
anyone involved in the Earth and space sci- porated nonprofit organization in 1972,
ences to join and stay a member. Of equal Fred thought it would be good to get rid of
importance to me is the fact that AGU the two-tiered approach to participation.
always puts the integrity and quality of sci- Although the Bylaws Committee put for-
ence first.” ward a document that eliminated all geo-
graphic distinctions, before adopting the
A Commitment to Communication proposed bylaws the Council reinserted
and to Keeping Dues Affordable U.S. residency as a condition of holding
Fred held three degrees from the Massachu- the office of president.
setts Institute of Technology, including a Five years later, when Canadian J. Tuzo
Ph.D. in physical oceanography. After a Wilson was nominated as a candidate for
short stint as an analyst for the CIA, he was AGU’s president-elect, no one checked the
hired in the summer of 1967 by AGU to be bylaws. Tuzo won the election. So that he
assistant executive director. could serve, a special election to change
One of his early assignments was to make the bylaws was held, and the last vestige of
the stodgy quarterly Transactions, American AGU’s being a U.S. society was removed by
Geophysical Union into a monthly magazine, vote of the membership.
which he did with the January 1969 issue,
adding Eos to its title. Ten years later, Eos The Importance of Giving Back
became a weekly tabloid newspaper. Fred AGU had strong publications and meetings A painting of Fred Spilhaus, executive director of AGU
served as editor in chief of Eos for 40 years. programs, but Fred said there needed to be a from 1970 to 2009. Credit: AGU
10 // Eos December 2018TRIBUTE
regional scientific societies. He saw a arguments. He never took arguments per-
worldwide network of such societies serv- sonally and never held a grudge.
ing the advancement of science at local, Fred had the greatest respect for his The International
national, and international levels. predecessor, Waldo Smith, and frequently Continental Scientific
Although he wanted AGU to be welcom- said that he was glad to have had a 3-year
Drilling Program (ICDP)
ing to all Earth and space scientists and apprenticeship under Waldo’s tutelage.
students anywhere in the world, Fred did When Fred was nearing retirement and Call for Proposals
not want the size and success of AGU to the AGU officers insisted that he have his The International Continental Scientific Drilling
keep other societies from developing. He likeness painted, Fred refused to have it Program, ICDP coordinates and supports
gave unstintingly of his advice to the lead- hung until a portrait of Waldo was painted multinational endeavours in continental scientific
ers of other organizations and helped to and hung first. Fred’s last official act as drilling. The program focuses on challenging
lend AGU’s resources for the good of oth- executive director was to host a small themes of global geoscientific importance
ers. As new societies got started, it was reception of members in the Washington, underpinning socio-economic challenges,
common to hear their leaders explain their D. C., area to unveil Waldo’s portrait. including climate & ecosystem evolution,
sustainable georesources and natural hazards.
programs with “you know, it’s like AGU’s” In 2010, Fred was delighted to receive
Chapman Conferences or Macelwane the AGU tribute that had been named for With this announcement, the ICDP invites
Medal. his mentor: the Waldo E. Smith Medal. It Earth scientists to submit pre-proposals,
is perhaps fitting that Fred was one of the workshop proposals and full proposals in which
A Strong Leader last to receive the medal before it was des- drilling is required to achieve critical research
Fred’s mantra was “There is no end to the ignated an award. goals. This call is open to investigators from
good you can do if you don’t care who gets ICDP member countries (Austria, Belgium,
the credit.” He had an uncanny gift for lis- A Lasting Legacy China, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Ger-
many, Iceland, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, New
tening to what members were saying, Many of us who saw the energy and pas-
Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
especially in committee meetings, and was sion Fred devoted to supporting the vol-
The Netherlands, United Kingdom, and United
quick to figure out how to shape those unteer leaders, especially during difficult States of America) as well as from countries
thoughts into a policy, an action, or even a financial times, know that AGU would not considering membership in the ICDP.
new direction for AGU. Fred brought the be as strong as it is today if Fred Spilhaus
mind-set of a scientist to analyzing prob- had not answered the call and made AGU Please note that ICDP provides operational
lems and developing solutions. his life’s mission. Today’s members and support and allocates co-funding for drilling-
He loved being in the midst of the action, leaders can count themselves fortunate related costs only; research grants for the
project should be sought from national
but he didn’t seek to be the center of atten- that Fred had broad shoulders on which
or other funding agencies. This concept
tion. He had no need for personal aggran- they could stand.
of commingled funding and international
dizement. Those who experienced his Fred Spilhaus—scientist, executive, cost sharing, in addition to an exchange of
infectious laugh or shared in his joy in a mentor, man of courage, bon vivant, col- technological capabilities and expertise, has
good story, especially a self-deprecating league, friend—turned his zeal for defend- proven very successful.
one, may be unaware that Fred relished ing the integrity of science and for advanc-
solitude, in which he could recharge his ing our understanding of Earth and space In the proposal evaluation process ICDP
batteries. into a career that enriched individuals and will consider scientific quality and global
relevance, technical and financial aspects as
He was a man of strong opinions; this organizations around the world. Although
well as equality, gender and contribution of
meant that Fred didn’t always see eye to his legacy will remain, the man who built it
early career scientists.
eye with everyone in the various walks of will be sorely missed.
his professional life. Fred appreciated that ICDP aims to foster joint projects with the
others held passionate views that differed International Ocean Discovery Program and
from his own. He enjoyed intellectual By Judy C. Holoviak (email: jholoviak@gmail therefore cordially invites project proposals
sparring and having well-founded, civil .com), former Deputy Executive Director, AGU in which coordinated drilling on land and at
sea is required or land-sea transect drilling
series are planned (“amphibious projects”).
Joint project proposal submission will be
accepted by both programs at their respective
Join AGU for an informal gathering deadlines and will be jointly evaluated.
Detailed information on the scope of the
during Fall Meeting 2018 ICDP, the submission of proposals, proposal
format, the process for developing a successful
to honor Fred’s life and work. proposal, the grant conditions and the
evaluation process is available at:
9 December from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. www.icdp-online.org/proposals.
The deadline for submission of all proposals is
Renaissance Hotel January 15, 2019. Please, submit a single file
999 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001 of less than 10 MB size according to the guide-
lines via e-mail to the ICDP Program Office
Room Congressional B using: proposal.submission@icdp-online.org.
Earth & Space Science News Eos.org // 11MEETING REPORT
A Cross-Sectoral Approach break down into smaller microplastics and
nanoplastics. The effects of these breakdown
to Tackle Ocean Plastic Pollution products, along with particles originally pro-
duced as microplastics, are poorly understood.
Other key knowledge gaps include the effects
Plastic in the Oceans: Challenges and Solutions of bioaccumulation of plastics in food webs
Cambridge, United Kingdom, 7 March 2018 and potential effects on human health.
Workshop participants concurred that
innovative approaches and systemic changes
are required to achieve the goal of zero plastic
waste, end the existing “throwaway culture,”
and move from a linear p roduction-to-
disposal system toward a circular economy.
Delegates presented solutions that
embrace science, including replacing plastic
with natural materials and biopolymers;
green chemistry and fiber engineering;
chemical recycling of end of life plastic into
virgin materials; and reducing pollution via
ocean cleanup schemes, including wastewa-
ter screening, collaboration with the fishing
community, and robotic and floating waste
collection technologies.
Workshop participants identified a number
of priorities for action, including the need for
coherent, clear, and simple scientific mes-
sages for politicians, the public, and other
stakeholders; the creation of best practices
guidelines for monitoring the marine ecosys-
tem; and the establishment of appropriate
certification schemes.
The workshop highlighted the value of
cross-sectoral engagement and collaboration
in finding solutions to the global issue of
An Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella) is entangled in plastic fishing netting at Bird Island, South Georgia, South ocean plastic pollution. Workshop partici-
Atlantic Ocean. Research team members removed the netting shortly after this photo was taken. Credit: Claire Waluda pants agreed that to tackle the problem
effectively, we need to move beyond the tra-
ditional “science-policy interface” to a net-
P
lastic plays a vital role in our lives; how- Plastic pollution is a truly global issue— work of scientists, industry representatives
ever, plastic waste is a burgeoning envi- floating garbage patches have been observed (large to small scale), nongovernmental
ronmental, social, and economic prob- in all five subtropical oceanic gyres. The work- organizations, and policy makers working
lem across the globe. The estimated 8 million shop highlighted that plastic is now prevalent together toward solutions. They emphasized
metric tons of plastic entering the oceans even in areas far removed from human habi- that to genuinely change the system, these
every year pose one of the greatest modern- tation. Attendees raised concerns regarding solutions must embrace science, encourage
day threats to the health of global marine eco- the levels of plastic debris in the polar regions industry innovation, and be amenable to pol-
systems. A great deal of relevant research and and their potentially profound effects on Arc- icy facilitation.
progress is currently under way, but effectively tic and Antarctic ecosystems. A comprehensive report from this work-
addressing ocean plastic pollution requires a shop is available at http://bit.ly/plastics-in
multidisciplinary and collaborative approach -oceans.
with engagement from a wide range of sectors.
Plastic pollution is a truly We thank the British Antarctic Survey
Last March, the British Antarctic Survey global issue—floating (BAS), Cambridge Conservation Initiative, and
convened a 1 -day workshop to address these Cambridge Cleantech; the workshop organiz-
issues and identify potential solutions. More garbage patches have ing committee; the BAS Plastics Group; BAS
than 160 delegates attended, representing students for documenting the proceedings of
academia, media, nongovernmental conserva-
been observed in all five the meeting and helping with the event; and
tion and policy organizations, and industry. subtropical oceanic gyres. all workshop participants.
About a quarter of the delegates attending
were representatives from international com-
panies, small businesses, and start-ups. The By C. M. Waluda (email: clwa@bas.ac.uk;
aims of the workshop were to identify knowl- Workshop participants recognized that @clairewaluda), R. D. Cavanagh (@RachieCav),
edge gaps, explore solutions, and highlight although the impact of large-sized plastic and C. Manno (@claramanno), British Antarctic
future actions on ocean plastics. debris is well documented, large pieces can Survey, Cambridge, U.K.
12 // Eos December 2018You can also read
